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I like
rifles, especially very accurate ones that are made for making
that one carefully aimed, precise shot. There are many rifles on
the market that are designed for making a precise, long range
shot, and they are marketed in different ways. Legacy Sports,
the importer of the Howa, is marketing this Axiom rifle
as a Varminter, and it is also chambered for several other
cartridges, but in .308 Winchester, it is very well suited to
the role of making a long range, precision shot at any type of
target.
Howa rifles are made in Japan, and have been for
many years now. They have also achieved a well-earned reputation
for accuracy. In addition to the Axiom, Howa rifles are offered
in several other configurations. The action is of the push-feed
variety, has a ninety degree bolt lift, and the magazine holds
five cartridges in the .308 rifle featured here. The specs call
for four in the magazine plus one, but the sample rifle held
five in the magazine easily without binding.
I first saw the prototype Howa Axiom at the 2007
SHOT Show, and have been awaiting a production gun ever
since. They are now in full production of the black rifles, and
the camo version will soon follow. The Axiom is available with
either a synthetic stock, or an identical stock made of
aluminum. I prefer the synthetic, as it is lighter, but it is
always good to have a choice. What differentiates the Axiom from
other Howa bolt guns is the stock. It is made by Knoxx
Industries, and is what really makes this baby special.
One outstanding feature of the stock is the adjustable length of
the buttstock. This is particularly a good feature on a police
sniper rifle, as many times a ballistic vest or other gear makes
a shorter stock necessary. Even if used in a hunting situation,
a heavy coat, or the shooter’s position makes an adjustable
stock a nice feature. The Axiom stock is instantly adjustable
without tools, much like the stock on an AR-15 rifle. It is
simple to use, and works very well, adjusting the length-of-pull
from 12.5 to 15.5 inches, and the overall length from
approximately 39 to 42 inches, with a twenty-inch barrel, as
supplied on the test gun. The Axiom stock has a
forward-mounted sling swivel stud, and another at the rear,
which can be moved from the center to either side, if the
shooter desires. The other delightful feature of the stock is
that it has a built-in recoil reducer that actually works, maybe
even better than advertised. Upon firing, the barreled
action and forestock travel rearward against spring pressure.
The spring is contained within the comfortable pistol grip, and
instantly returns the gun to battery. With the elevated
cheek rest, pistol grip, and recoil reducer, this is by far the
most comfortable to shoot .308 that I have ever fired. Even
after several hours of shooting the Axiom from the bench, there
was no fatigue at all. The .308 is not a punishing cartridge to
fire, but after several dozen rounds, it can start to beat the
shoulder a bit. This seems odd, but I never even once felt the
Axiom bump by shoulder at all. The stock also wears a
Limbsaver recoil pad, but the recoil reducer within the
stock works much better than I had anticipated that it would.
The design of the forestock has a rather radical profile, and
entirely free-floats the barrel. The forestock is also well
ventilated, which really helped barrel cooling, as I was
shooting in temperatures which exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
The barrel is of a heavy profile, has a
one-in-twelve inch twist, measures 1.176 inches at the receiver,
and tapers to .845 inch at the muzzle, which has a recessed
target crown. For scope mounting, I used a Howa Picatinny
rail with Weaver Grand Slam steel rings to mount the Leupold
6.5 to 20 power target scope. This is a most-trusted scope, and
I use it often to prove a rifle’s potential accuracy.
For accuracy testing, I settled the Axiom into
the rest, and tried a variety of ammunition, from military
surplus ball, to factory match ammo, hunting loads, and a couple
of favorite handloads. All shot very well, and the Axiom proved
capable of fine accuracy with a few loads. Even the military
ball ammo, which was Lake City surplus from the early
1980s, grouped under one and one-half inches for every group
fired. A couple of loads would group around one-half inch or
better, and they are pictured here. No ammo tried was
disappointing. I fired the Axiom a lot more than I usually do
with most test rifles, simply because it was so comfortable to
shoot. Functioning of the Howa was perfect throughout the
tests. Fatigue nor pain never set in. The stock shape is very
comfortable, and the design of every feature of the rifle is
very well thought out. I would like to see the rifle offered
with a ten-shot detachable box magazine, but that is really not
a big deal, just another feature that would prove useful to
certain shooters, like law enforcement agencies and such. The
trigger pull measured three and one-quarter pounds as delivered,
but the Howa trigger is pretty easy to adjust, and you can drop
about one pound off of that pull weight if needed. I would like
to see a pull weight of around one and one-half pounds myself,
but I am spoiled, I guess.
I really like the Howa Axiom. It is different
from its competition, and better in many ways. With the
synthetic stock, it weighs in at nine pounds and six ounces,
which is lighter than most rifles of the type. It is very
comfortable to carry, and to shoot all day long.
Check out the Howa rifles online at: www.legacysports.com.
To look at the entire line of Leupold optics, go
to: www.leupold.com.
Jeff Quinn
 
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Click pictures for a larger version.

Howa Axiom .308 Winchester Bolt Action Precision Rifle.



Adjustable buttstock allows quick and easy tailoring to
individual shooters and conditions.



Sliding safety is located behind the bolt on the right
side.










When Jeff really wants to prove the accuracy of a rifle,
he reaches for his Leupold 6.5-20x target scope.




The Howa Axiom .308 proved to be exceptionally accurate
with a wide variety of ammunition ranging from military
surplus to factory hunting loads to handloads.


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